May 3, 2009

To: United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg

Local 867 -International Association of Fire Fighters 303-83 Garry Street

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

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Dear Brothers and Sisters;

On March 10, 2009, my Son, Jeff McConnell and his family suffered a total loss of their home and all of their belongings. The home was located in a trailer park at 480 Augier Ave. The fire also destroyed two other homes.

Following the fire, I contacted your president, Alex Forrest. As a retired Firefighter for the Victoria Fire Department I knew that if I reached out to Alex, that help would be quickly provided. Alex immediately had the Executive of your Local swing into action and contact my Son. The funding that your Local provided helped them through the first few days after the fire. They are now into a rental house and are slowly getting life back to normal.

I want to thank the membership of your Local for helping this young family. It is not only a young family but a fellow firefighter's family. There is no doubt in my mind, that this is a true example of what a Union is all about.

During my thirty years on the job, I served on the Union Executive for nine of those years. I was proud to be a member of the Union, but never as proud as I am now. If you have members questioning why they should be a part of a Union, please relay this story to them.

Thank you Brothers and Sisters.

Fraternally,

S. Lajoie

Stan Lejoie

Retired Captain,

Victoria Fire Department

The following open letter was sent to Premier Gary Doer and Mayor Sam Katz this morning:

April 20, 2009

Premier Gary Doer                                                      His Worship Mayor Sam Katz

Room 204, Legislative Building                                    Council Building

450 Broadway                                                             510 Main Street

Winnipeg, MB.                                                             Winnipeg, MB.

R3C 0V8                                                                     R3B 1B9

Dear Premier Doer and Mayor Katz,

I am writing this letter on behalf of the fifteen hundred (1500) members of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg and also on behalf of the Citizens of South Winnipeg who we have vowed to "hold safe"

In 2007 and 2008 the Province and the City worked together to solve a dangerous problem that existed in South Winnipeg; that problem was understaffing of firefighters.   The problem could not have been solved without the co-operation and support of both the Province and the City and it could not have been solved without your great leadership.  Your co-operation resulted in a doubling of the number of Fire Fighters in the strategic fire station at Pembina and Dalhousie (Station #23).  This station is vital for the delivery of fire and EMS services to the south end of Winnipeg, including the University of Manitoba.

Over the last few weeks we have seen positive results due to the increased firefighter staffing.  Three major fires occurred in the area recently that could have resulted in a great deal more damage and other tragic consequences if we had not had extra staff available in the south end of the City.

Without those extra Fire Fighters on hand to aggressively attack the fire and protect exposures we could have lost a significant portion of the University of Manitoba.  The extra staffing also enabled us to better ensure that everyone was safely evacuated from the area, and this was vital due to the toxicity of the fire.

We had another serious fire on April 16^th, which resulted in a large evacuation and rescue operation, and this was at Summerland Apartments.  Response to this fire was extremely time sensitive due to the severity of the fire and the fact that we had a large number of seniors and handicapped individuals who needed to be assisted out of harms way.  The extra staff that you provided were directly responsible for a large part of the rescue operation.

We had no major injuries or deaths in either one of these fires.  I do not want to think what would have happened at Summerland without those extra Fire Fighters who were on the scene within four minutes.

There was another large fire beside Silverstone Arena in the first-in district of the Pembina and Dalhousie fire hall (Station #23) the other night and this is the report we received from one of the Fire Fighters stationed at #23 Station:

"Station 23 again.  Had a fire in our first in district. A storage garage next to Silverstone Arena was fully involved.  Fire Truck 231 attended the call as Fire Truck #23 was at a water rescue call.  Fire Truck 231 is the fire truck and staff recently put in place to help us in the south.  The flames were impinging and threatening the arena and the building contained 45 gallon drums of fuel, varsol, etc and propane tanks.  Some of the drums ruptured.  If it were not for F231 (the 2nd pump in the south) protecting exposures the arena would have been lost.

Again fortunately we have the 2nd pump at Station 23."

I wish all of Winnipeg could know about this story, however, I know that the media usually only covers disasters and not disasters avoided.

This public letter to both of you that will be displayed on our web site as a small way of saying thank you, we appreciate your support.

We look forward to working with you again to fix the response problems in South East Winnipeg.

Yours truly,

UNITED FIRE FIGHTERS OF WINNIPEG

LOCAL 867, I.A.F.F.

 Original signed by

ALEX FORREST

PRESIDENT

cc.        All Manitoba MLAs

            All City of Winnipeg Councillors

Glen Laubenstein, CAO

Chief Jim Brennan

Hi Alex,

Congrats on another milestone for firefighters for adding two more cancers to presumptive legislation! 

The countless hours of hard work have paid off and I thank you and the executive on behalf of all firefighter families.

We personally know the impact that this will have for future claims for firefighters and their families.  Words cannot express how much of an impact past legislation has made for our family and for that we are eternally grateful!!!   

Thank you!!!!! 

Take care

Deb Woodman

UFFW is joining with Habitat for Humanity to promote sponsorship from all of the Fire Halls to support

the Women Build initiative. 

For further information click here or contact Bruce Duncan at 794-8991 or 582-1727

Please donate blood during the month of March in support of

                    The Sirens for Life Challenge  

Since the beginning of March, WFD has had 42 donors participate and we'd like to see this number rise!

The Canadian Blood Services clinic is located at 777 William Avenue.

Your donation will help save up to 3 lives!  To make an appointment to donate, please call

                      1 888 2 DONATE.  

If you'd like to register to be a member of Partners for Life, please sign up on-line at www.blood.ca and click on Partners for Life. The partner ID number for WFD is CITY008392

p.s. Don't forget to add your name to the challenge sheet when you go to the clinic.

As the mother of a little boy with a neuromuscular disease I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your hard work and dedication on our behalf.

Brandon was 2 years old when we got the confirmation we were dreading – he was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy – basically his body does not generate enough energy to function and his muscles, nerves and brain are suffering as a result. It is every parents worst nightmare. Over the years we have had to watch helplessly as Brandon lost the ability to talk, walk, and even eat on his own. Treatments are ineffective at best, and research is a slow process.

Hope has been hard to come by at times.

Last fall Brandon and I had the privilege to visit with a group of firefighters spending the day outside, in the cold, at Sobey's on Main Street.   It was the boot drive and they were collecting donations for Muscular Dystrophy Canada – the organization that funds a great deal of research into Brandon's disease and offers so much support in other ways to our family and others like ours. It was one of several spots through the city, and seeing you all out there, on our behalf, raising money that is going to help our son, was deeply moving. Your involvement with our organization has quite honestly become a part of our lives – Brandon counts down the days to the MDC fundraising walk – he calls it the ‘firefighter walk’. He is so thrilled to see you all at the boot drives. He thinks you guys are out there just for him.

Muscular Dystrophy Canada has been a huge part of our life since Brandon's diagnosis – they have funded equipment we couldn’t otherwise get for him, they have provided a means to network with other families, and most importantly, they have provided a source of hope for those of us who so desperately need it. The research MDC has funded has changed the way doctors treat this disease even in the few years since Brandon was diagnosed. Breakthroughs happen regularly, and nothing gives me more pride than to read that MDC had a hand in the funding of research that led to those breakthroughs.

Pictures of Brandon

February 23, 2009

United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg

303-83 Garry Street

Winnipeg, Mb.

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To: Alex Forrest, President and Union Representatives

Subject:  Benefit – February 6, 2009 for

               Ron Talakoski, Thunder Bay Firefighter

I am writing this letter to than the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg for the support provided for the benefit.       

The benefit was a success, and approximately $42,000 was raised to assist Ron in his continuing medical requirements and to support his two sons.

The Thunder Bay Fire Fighters worked extremely hard to ensure the benefit was a success.  Many of the members that I had the pleasure of meeting were very familiar with our Union Representatives in Winnipeg.  It is very comforting to know that the brotherhood of firefighters has no boundaries.

Ron Talakoski presented a speech at the benefit where he stated that he is so proud to be a firefighter, even though he has not been able to work on the job for the past 8 years.

The support of our Union continues to make me proud of the job we do, and the support that is demonstrated for the members 

A Special thanks to Jim Hemphill and Rob Labossiere for their support and concern for my friend and fellow firefighter.

Sincerely,

Ron St. Mars

Station 4, Platoon 4

_______________________________________

Dear Alex,

There are not enough works to express out gratitude for the help you provided to us in Winnipeg.  You are incredibly kind and generous and we are so very appreciative.

James is finally home but still working very hard to get back to himself.  He is so happy to have been able to meet you and thank you for your support.

Thanks again so much, Alex.  We will always be grateful.

Sincerely,

Kim, James, and the Wood and Black Families.

__________________________________________________

Dear Winnipeg Fire Fighters,

Your support throughout our awful ordeal meant so much and made things that much easier to deal with.

We are so appreciative of all of your help, from picking us up from the airport to providing meals for us during our long hours waiting in the Special Intensive Unit.

You are all incredibly kind and generous people and we will always be grateful for your support.

Sincerely, Kim, James and the Wood and Black Families.